1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a power heating member for processing an object to be processed such as a lead wire by the Joule heat generated upon electric power supply.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, factory automation has significantly progressed. For example, an apparatus for soldering a lead wire of an IC to a substrate is available. In this apparatus, a heating member consisting of a conductive material such as Fe, Mo, W, Ta, Cu, Al or stainless steel generates Joule heat upon power supply and urges a plurality of lead wires against a substrate at the same time, thereby soldering the lead wires to the substrate. Lead wires normally extend from an IC in two or four directions. Therefore, two or four heating members are arranged to oppose each other at two sides of an IC or to surround four sides of the IC. These heating members are electrically connected in series with each other. Although the heating members may be connected in parallel with each other, a current capacity required for the entire apparatus is increased in this case.
When the heating members consisting of a conductive material are directly brought into contact with lead wires of an IC to perform soldering, however, wiring of a substrate is brought into contact with the series-connected heating members, and the heating members are connected with each other via the wiring. In this case, a shunt current flows from the heating members to the wiring of the substrate. As a result, the wiring of the substrate is undesirably disconnected.